Ceilidh raises huge £20,000

A CHARITY ceilidh held on Friday November 18 at the North Connel Hall raised more than £20,000 for CLIC Sargent and the Antony Nolan Trust.

The inspiration for the events was Laura Campbell from Oban, who was diagnosed with leukemia for the third time but, thanks to a stem cell donor, underwent a bone marrow transplant in October.

Laura and her friends began a campaign to recruit more donors to register on the Anthony Nolan stem cell register and many fundraised for CLIC Sargent, which supports young cancer sufferers.

One of the event’s army of volunteers, Breege Smyth said, the hall was packed to capacity, with ‘excellent dancing all night long’ thanks to ceilidh music from Craig McFadyen, Hector McFadyen and Kevin McGlynn, with solo performances by Laura’s brother Stuart Campbell on the pipes and Gaelic songs by Barra’s Mary- Catherine MacNeil.

Everybody played their part, she explained, and everything at the evening was donated for free: the hall, food, music, £700 in prize money and raffle donations.

She added: ‘One hundred raffle books were sold, with 40 books sold by one person at the Dalmally Show. The raffle raised £4,000. Everything was double people’s expectations.’

The auction, conducted by Donald Morrison, raised more than £5,000 on bids such as a holiday in a Tiree cottage, a sheep, a carved child’s chair, a tufted rug, a weekend in Blair Atholl, a fiddle and Celtic jerseys.

Local primary children also sold cakes around North Connel, raising more than £150, while an anonymous benefactor sent a cheque for £ 5,000.

‘The Campbell family were out in force,’ Breege said. ‘It was very emotional. Laura and the family would like to say a huge thank you to all involved.’